Journal of Information Literacy (JIL)

Publication Profiles > LIS Scholarly Journals > Journal of Information Literacy (JIL)

 

Publication analysis


About the publication

Title: Journal of Information Literacy (JIL)

ISSN: 1750-59681

Website: https://ojs.lboro.ac.uk/JIL/

Purpose, objective, or mission: The Journal of Information Literacy (JIL) is the professional journal of the CILIP Information Literacy Group. The journal “publishes innovative and challenging research articles and project reports which push the boundaries of information literacy thinking in theory, practice and method, and which aim to develop deep and critical understandings of the role, contribution and impact of information literacies in everyday contexts, education and the workplace.”2

Target audience: The target audience includes members of the UK-based CILIP Information Literacy Group and LIS professionals, scholars, students, and teachers, and those working in any field related to information literacy instruction and scholarship.

Publisher: JIL is published by the CILIP Information Literacy Group and hosted by Loughborough University Library.3

Peer reviewed? Yes, double-blind peer review.4

Type: LIS scholarly journal.

Medium: Online, open access.

Content: JIL “aims to investigate information literacy in all its forms to address the interests of diverse IL communities of practice.”5 Regular sections include Peer-Reviewed Articles, Articles from LILAC (Librarians’ Information Literacy Annual Conference), Book Reviews, Conference Updates, Project Reports, and Students’ View of IL.6

Frequency of publication: Twice a year.7

About the publication’s submission guidelines

Location of submission guidelines: Submissions.

Types of contributions accepted: JIL accepts research articles that are “informed and evidence based, designed around an arguable research question, contextualised with reference to previous and current advances in IL thinking, [and] methodologically robust with a demonstrable research design.8 For the Students’ View of IL section, submissions should be “papers drawn from research (theoretical or applied) undertaken by students as part of a postgraduate course in LIS or other cognate disciplines, such as education or media.”9 Authors may also submit reviews of books, media, websites, and software relevant to information literacy practices; conference updates; and project reports “related to information, digital and learning literacies.10

Submission and review process: JIL‘s Submission page includes a section titled The Route to Publication that provides a helpful overview of the submission, review, and acceptance process. Authors need to format manuscripts according to the journal’s article template and verify that manuscripts conform to each item on the Submission Preparation Checklist. After manuscripts are submitted online, they are peer reviewed with comments on suitability and suggestions for revision; authors receive feedback and may resubmit for review if substantial changes are made.11

Editorial tone: The tone is scholarly, and writers should use UK spelling. The journal’s Submission page provides helpful guidelines and templates for expected style, structure, and argument.12

Style guide used: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA).13 

Conclusion: Evaluation of publication’s potential for LIS authors

JIL “publishes articles from both established and new authors” in the field of information literacy. Furthermore, JIL “welcomes contributions that push the boundaries of IL beyond the educational setting and examine this phenomenon as a continuum between those involved in its development and delivery and those benefiting from its provision.”14 This journal is a good fit for LIS authors who conduct original research and novel scholarship in any area of information literacy. LIS graduate students and recent graduates have a great opportunity to publish in the journal’s Students’ View of IL section. JIL accepts 44% of articles submitted for publication.15

 

Audience analysis


About the publication’s readers

Publication circulation: Data not available.

Audience location and language or cultural considerations: JIL is published by CILIP Information Literacy Group, which “works across the UK and represents a UK workforce of 87,000 information professionals working across the private, public and third sectors to unlock the value of information.”16 Authors should keep in mind that readers are information professionals throughout the UK, but as an open-access journal for a large organization, it can have an international reach.

Reader characteristics: Readers are information professionals throughout the UK. CILIP explains that information professional “is an umbrella term for librarians, information managers, knowledge managers and data professionals.”17

Knowledge of LIS subject matter: Readers have a solid and practical understanding of LIS subject matter.

Conclusion: Analysis of reader characteristics and their potential impact on authors

Based on membership in CILIP, readers are UK information professionals in a wide range of libraries and institutions. Members are interested in staying up-to-date on the most current developments in information literacy and in advancing scholarship of and practice in the field. Authors should keep in mind the journal’s focus on innovative research, scholarship, and practice in the field of information literacy.

Last updated: April 10, 2018


References

Show 17 footnotes

  1.  Journal of Information Literacy, Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory, accessed April 15, 2018, http://ulrichsweb.serialssolutions.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/title/1523821255563/626763
  2. Homepage, Journal of Information Literacy, accessed April 10, 2018, https://ojs.lboro.ac.uk/JIL/.
  3. “About the Journal,” Journal of Information Literacy, accessed April 10, 2018, https://ojs.lboro.ac.uk/JIL/about.
  4. “Submissions,” Journal of Information Literacy, accessed April 10, 2018, https://ojs.lboro.ac.uk/JIL/about/submissions.
  5. “About the journal.”
  6. “Submissions.”
  7. “About the Journal.”
  8. “Submissions.”
  9. “Submissions.”
  10. “Submissions.”
  11. “Submissions.”
  12. “Submissions.”
  13. “Submissions.”
  14. “About the Journal.”
  15. “About the Journal.”
  16. “Who We Represent,” cilip.org.uk, accessed April 10, 2018, http://www.cilip.org.uk/page/who_we_represent.
  17. “Who We Represent.”
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